Category Archives: arts

Riding my Nerve beach cruiser along the iconic Wilshire blvd without cars seems crazy, but not when it’s CicLAvia. A wonderful program started by CARs (community arts resources). A completely free event open to the public even if you don’t own a bike.

losangeleswalks.org

It welcomes walkers like the LosAngelesWalker.org group, skateboarders, roller-bladers, roller-skaters, unicyclists, tricyclists, and a lot of other types of creative inventions on wheels. Riding with over a 100,000 people easily, I was bound to run into someone I knew, like Mike Mendoza of @ VeganBeastMode.

Yesterday’s ride started at the beginning of Wilshire Blvd in DTLA with plenty of pedestrian zones and mandatory dismantle zones to get you ready for the ride west to Fairfax. Tern set up camp showcasing their amazing foldable lightweight bikes that I so desperately want!! The Eclipse S11(i) is such a beauty!

tern eclipse s11i

Another vender who set up camp was REI, complete with a rock wall! Plus, CicLAvia had multiple first aid tents all along Wilshire in case people needed water to hydrate or bandages for their falls. I didn’t see any wipeout, but I did see a cyclist riding way too fast through an intersection and almost taking out a lady stationary on her bike and a traffic cop! yeah, that was nutty.

CoCoHoDo is located 3500 w.6th st. 90020.

K-Town had the right idea with programming their yearly KBBQ festival on the same day as CicLAia so we (boyfriend, friend [also bloggers] & I, ) stopped for a look around. Thanks K-Town! I’m not a meat eater so finding vegan food was tricky. I settled with a vegetarian meal of… Samkak, Gimbab, and two cocohodos. Cocohodos are a walnut pastry. Basically walnuts in bean paste wrapped in a pancake or at least that’s what it tasted like to me.

Riding west on Wilshire we entered into Miracle Mile where LACMA, CAFAM, the new Academy Museum, The Petersen Automotive Museum and the La Brea tar pits are located. Everywhere you looked there were people! A sea of people out enjoying their Sunday thanks to CicLAvia. LACMA set up shop with tents that offered temporary tattoos, spin art, a photo booth and an informational booth.

Across from LACMA was CAFAM which I am sure if you have driven or taken the bus along Wilshire you will have recognized the colorful crocheted building. Yarn bombers parked themselves in front selling their “bombs” to the many cyclist that promote this noble cause. You can read more about it here.

sewing machine is run by this bike.

lovely lady yarn bombers

yarn bombs anyone?

In the middle between the Petersen Museum and the new Academy Museum were these huge Oscar statues standing on none other than red carpet. Everyone was taking their photo with them. Why not, right?

Thanks to The Petersen Museum everyone was able to make their very own license plate. Super cute for all ages!

If you have never taken part in CicLAvia you are indeed missing out! Come any way you can with anyone you want. Families, couples, friends, foreigners, and your pets! I am still trying to figure out how I can bring my cat. I saw so many dogs of all sizes and even birds!

Los Angeles truly has so many fun free events that I couldn’t imagine living anywhere else. Today was such a great day. I can’t wait for the next CicLAvia!

How are you finding ways to beat this heat? I have all my windows open and homemade ginger lemonade in the fridge to keep me going. I know in this heat our body just wants to lay around and be lazy. However, there are so many places to enjoy here in downtown Los Angeles especially now that summer is here and kiddies are out of school. It reminds of Alice Cooper’s song “Schools Out.” Though I haven’t been in school for ages it just seems fitting seeing more kids around town.

Here are a few ideas to get you out and about.

1. Go splash around in the big fountain at Grand Park. Be a kid again, roll up your pants and splash around side by side the chillin’s that are already there. They know what’s up. Follow their lead! There is nothing more fun then splashing in a giant fountain in the middle of a city. Remember Silvia from La Dolce Vita? Great movie.

Silvia in the fountain

Grand Park Fountain of Fun

2. Find a friend with a roof top pool! Take advantage of your friends and neighbors. There are so many buildings with pools and most residents don’t make use of them. So start asking everyone you know if they have a pool and if they don’t mind lending it to you.

Here are few I know that have pools. Do you have friends that reside in them?

4. Go find a restaurant you haven’t tried yet and order only desserts! Or better yet, go straight for dessert and skip the lunch altogether! You could always grab a veggie juice later so you still get some nutrients and then head on over to dessert land. Peddler’s Creameryopened on Main st. Made with organic, fair trade, local & exotic ingredients. They have ice cream, sorbet and even vegan desserts. YUMMM! Plus, 5% of their profits goes to social and environmental causes. Win win!

Peddler’s Creamery

5. Head to the beach (much like everyone else) via the METRO 720.~ Everybody seems to have the same idea when the weather obliges. Getting caught in beach traffic is never fun, so get out earlier. Pack a lunch and picnic out under the sun. Of course, you will have your sunscreen and sun hats, right? Sun burns are never fun to deal with. So lather up! Nobody likes lobster skin.

6. Go see a movie, but that’s a given right? I put this last since I’d rather do the prior 3 on my days off.

I recently sold my car… I know, I know… having a car in Los Angeles is really a must, but I have sold my car non the less in hopes that public transportation will deliver me to my destinations. I will lower my carbon footprint and demand more out of mass transit. Win win right?! So far, I have been pleasantly surprised as to what is available to people sans automobile.

Take for example yesterday, my boyfriend and I took a trip up to Griffith Park Observatory on Mt. Hollywood. We walked a few blocks to the underground Metro at Pershing Square, hopped on the RED LINE for $1.50 each, took it to the Vermont/Sunset stop, caught DASH’s weekend onlyGriffith Observatory Shuttle for .50 cents per person. The shuttle drops you off directly in front of the Observatory, how convenient! From there, we “hiked” (walked along) the Mt. Hollywood Hiking Trail to the tip top to view all of Los Angeles. The trail head is found just at the entrance of the parking lot. At the top you will see everything from the famous Hollywood sign, to downtown, Burbank and beyond. It was so gorgeous out even the butterflies were dancing in the breeze. Many people were out from all over! Some jogging, families brought their lunch to picnic,and some people rode on horseback to the top! The trail is moderately easy as far as hiking goes, but it’s a great outdoor walk if you feel like escaping the city for a day. It’s not far from downtown either, it probably took about 35 min from my house to the Observatory.

View from atop the Griffith Observatory overlooking the grounds, Mt Hollywood and the Hollywood sign.

.. and it was only $4 RT! what?! Plus, when we got up the mountain to the observatory I noticed many cars were idling waiting for a parking spot for 10+ minutes. So even if we had driven up there, it would have been a nightmare finding a parking spot. In addition, the DASH makes a few stops on it’s soute to and from the Observatory. So if you wanted to, you could stop over to see the latest art at La Luz de Jesus, grab brunch from Figaro’s, lunch at Alcove and dinner after your “hike” at Home. It just seems so much easier to use public transportion then stress about parking and waisting gas looking for said parking spot. Besides traffic these days is an adventure unto its own. I for one am happy to toss out my car and use my legs to get around.

Are you looking for something to do this weekend? A few great places to start would be the LA Art Book Fair at the The Geffen Contemporary at MOCA. Hundreds of art books on display from oldies to goodies, prints to catalogs. A delight for your artistic side. Take a friend and wander the isles of art literature from all over the world. Pick up pretty prints for your sweetie or rocking awesome zines, Valentines day is on it’s way. They even have a few book signings, so check their schedule to not miss out.

Saturday night at Space 727 Art will be all over the walls in the newest group exhibition entitled LINES featuring artists, Matt Maust,Cody Comrie, and Harley Cortez. From floor to ceiling drawings, paintings and prints are on view for the art (and music *hint hint*) lover in you. These are very talented men showing off their creative side off stage. I wouldn’t miss it if I were you. It’s only up for a week, so join the reception Saturday night February 2nd from 6:30-9:30pm. Space 727 Spring Street, DTLA.

And if that’s not enough…

Go for a walk in the city. Go for a long walk up to Vista Hermosa park. It might be a bit of a distance, but it proves to be such a gem. With views only wishes are made of. It’s 10 and half acres of walking trails, streams, kids playground, and hidden away picnic areas. Gorgeous meadows and the perfect city bench overlooking a vast meadow and the best view of DTLA! Scope out the perfect spot for your Valentines Day picnic. Romance is not lost in LA, certainly not DTLA. This park is really a treat. So much thought and heart went into creating such a beautiful retreat.

Win a FREE ticket (valid for one person) to tonight’s opening premier party (8-11pm) for the LA ART SHOW 2013. This Friend level ticket is valued at $125. Included with this VIP ticket you will receive the show’s catalog (valued at $20), Fine food, wine, and full bar at the premier party, opportunity to view (and purchase) art before the general public as well as unlimited admission to the LA Art Show throughout the show’s run. As well as unlimited access to the City National Bank VIP Lounge.

Here’s how you enter:

Share ANY of my stories on your Facebook or Twitter account. Tag @DTLAliving (so I know you posted). This ensures your name to be entered in the drawing. At 4pm (today) I will announce the winner on my Facebook and twitter pages.

Have you already “liked” my page on Facebook and followed me on twitter? If not, here is your chance for fun reads and a great prize. Also, you can follow my blog at www.DTLAliving.com to stay in the loop.

The WINNER can pick up their ticket at Space 727 Spring street DTLA 90014 between the hours of 4-7pm.

The LA ART SHOW 2013 is modeled after an art museum experience where collectors may view diverse genres of art under one roof, the LA Art Show features four distinct sections: The Modern & Contemporary Section, The Historic & Traditional Contemporary Section, the Vintage Poster Section, and the Los Angeles IFPDA Fine Print Fair Section. The Show also features a special exhibition, China: FUSION, a 3,600 sq ft space highlighting contemporary Asian art from mainland China.

I came upon a secret garden today right in the middle of the creative block consisting of the Walt Disney Concert Hall, MOCA, REDCAT, and the new (under construction) Broad Museum. Sandwiched between the Walt Disney Concert Hall and REDCAT is a beautiful, quiet garden consisting of plants from all over the world, like the Pink Ball Tree (Dombeya wallichii) from Madagascar. They look like upside down Hydrangeas.

The Blue Ribbon Garden is a gift from an organization of women devoted to the support of the music center and its resident companies. A large fountain that resembles a lotus flower with Mosaic Delft Blue Pottery with the inscription that reads “A Rose for Lilly. Frank Gehry’s tribute to Lillian Disney. A gift of her grandchildren and her great grandchildren” sits at the heart of the garden.

With a few tables and chairs dispersed throughout the garden, you can bring your lunch and a book or sketch book for my artist friends, and enjoy seclusion in the city. You can enter through the gates at the top of the stairs to the left of Walt Disney Concert Hall on Grand Ave. This way you can walk through the small outdoor amphitheater that not too many people know about either. Or walk through some of the sculpted exterior of the Walt Disney Concert Hall which can give you the feeling of walking through a maze. Either way, at the end of both paths, you come upon the garden that feels a little like the entrance into The Secret Garden. There is also an entrance off W. 1st Street that leads straight to the garden, which has an elevator for wheelchair access.

Happy discovering…

Once you find it smile, feel special because you now know a secret in the city of angels.